ARABSAT has finalized the mission definition for BADR-7 and confirmed the in-orbit delivery contract to the consortium of Astrium and Thales Alenia Space which has now started building the new satellite.

Thales Alenia Space and Astrium are jointly responsible for building the satellite and delivering it in orbit. Astrium, the leading partner, will supply the Eurostar E3000 platform and integrate the satellites. Thales Alenia Space will design and build the communications payload.

In a ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 19 January, Eng. Khalid Balkheyour, ARABSAT President and CEO (Photo), Eric Béranger, CEO of Astrium Satellites and Jean-Loïc Galle, CEO of Thales Alenia Space signed the contract which defines the new mission assigned to the satellite.

Following this signature, Jean Loïc Galle, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space said: “This latest contract reflects the renewed confidence that Arabsat has in our long standing European partnership and our ability to deliver cutting edge solutions. Our teams will call on all of their skills and expertise in Ka-band payloads to provide a satellite that will expand the range of services offered by Arabsat.”

The new satellite, the first in ARABSAT’s 6th generation of satellites, will be co-located with ARABSAT satellites at the 26° East video hot spot known as BADR. It will extend in-orbit ARABSAT’s capacity at this location for direct-to-home television broadcast and telecommunications services, and will provide broadband services in Ka-band with spot beam coverage.

BADR-7 is based on the Astrium built highly reliable Eurostar E3000 platform and is able to operate up to 24 transponders in Ku-band and 24 Ka spot-beams as well as 3 Ka transponders for additional services. Four deployable antennas and three fixed antennas will address service regions over a large coverage that includes the whole of MENA, South and North-West Africa and Central Asia.

BADR-7 will weigh 6100 kg at launch and have a spacecraft power of 12 kW at the end of its more than 15-year design life. It is planned for launch in late 2015.